SMALL GROUP SESSION
MAKING PEACE WITH UNHAPPINESS
Glenn Turner, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Auburn, ME
OPENING WORDS & CHALICE LIGHTING:
“Here we are, a reasonably contented group of random people, greetingeach other with hugs and smiles before we share the laughter and the pain.On our minds might be: a rough patch in our lives, a child or grand-childgone astray, a spouse or partner in pain, a relationship ending, beingaware of birdsong we may never hear again, the indignities of aging, theunfinished business of our souls - a laundry list of possible unhappiness.That¹s never all there is. We come to moan and groan and sift the ashes andto celebrate. These ashes were once solid oak and supple birch. Theirburning fuels our lives.” GHT
CHECK IN: (40 - 50 minutes)
What you share may be about your physical or spiritual health,cares or concerns for loved ones, issues you are facing.
Each person in the group speaks uninterrupted, if time remaining,general response and conversation is welcome. Confidentiality.
FOCUS: “Making Peace With Unhappiness”
“When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told thatyou should be contented with your lot?” Kathleen Norris
“Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.” Don Herold
“The chief cause of unhappiness is trading what we want for what we want in the moment.”
Baron Wormser, a Maine poet and teacher, talked about his school library:
“The books on the wall could be humorous, but they were not happy. I toldmy students that they would have to make their peace with unhappiness. Thatwas part of being an adult - not renouncing happiness but making one¹s peace with unhappiness.”
Discussion
What’s the wisdom here? What are the ways in which we make peace with ourunhappiness?
LIKES AND WISHES
How did this session go for you? Is there anything you’d like tocall particular attention to?
CLOSING WORDS:
“ “This very moment is the perfect teacher, and it’s always with us”...
Just seeing what’s going on – that’s the teaching right there. We can be with what’s happening and not dissociate. Awakeness is found in ourpleasure and our pain, our confusion and our wisdom, available in eachmoment of our weird, unfathomable, ordinary everyday lives.”
from “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron